CANNONDALE TRIGGER 29er-1 BB30 BOTTOM BRACKET

So I have about 100 miles on my Trigger 29er-1 now and yesterday it started making a horrible clicking noise from the BB. A little research and then I tore into it. It seems that the BB30 has no seal of any kind to prevent water intrusion to the bearings. I do keep my bike very clean, as in I wash it after every ride clean. I found no water but also almost no grease. I did find lots of dirt and debris. I removed the Teflon seals from the bearings and thoroughly washed out all old grease and contaminates. I cleaned all parts and seals then repacked the bearings. I reassembled the cranks and torqued to spec. It now spins better than when new but I think it's going to have to be done once a month. The lack of any seals on this unit sucks. Also there is no drain hole in the frame beneath the BB. Any one else have this trouble yet?

I havent had trouble with it, but I learned long ago that water does more damage to a bike than dirt, and not only in regards to bottom brackets (although the BB30 does seem to be the most susceptible). I wash my bike maybe once a year at most. I do clean the drivetrain after every ride... but not with water.

You should add plenty of grease to keep the water out.
Also, don't power wash the bike.

Odd that sram bearings are not protected as they advertise how their gxp bbs are gutter sealed.
Well, you could always get a better BB...

What they call a seal is a Teflon cover on the outside of the bearing between the races. Then they have a metal cover over the bearings. There is nothing to actually seal any thing out, water, dirt or whatever. I will purchase a better BB? I never power wash, just light spray with a hose. I have never had this problem with any other BB. Hopefully it's good until I get a new one.

I'm on my 2nd set of BB bearings already in my Trigger 29er 1... I'm now trying a set of Enduro stainless bearings. After I wash mine now, I remove the seatpost and position the bike upside down to drain out any water. If it wasn't for warranty concerns, I'd drill a drain hole under the BB shell... it certainly needs one.

I guess I have been lucky.
I have ridden my Trigger1 in plenty of rain and it's still creak free.
I did drill a drain hole.
I also have a Cdale EVO road bike ( lots of miles)and a Ridley X-Fire ( fairly new)that have BB30.
I picked up a Praxis converter kit that has sat on the shelf since last year....just in case the BB30 on the road bike failed. So far so good.
( I also found out later that the EVO road frame is Pressfit30, not BB30...d'oh! Can we have a few more "standards"?)
We'll see how the Ridley holds up if cross season gets wet.

I was sure Cannondale would have fixed this problem by now. I was having this exact same issue with my Carbon Rush back in 2008. I got tired of going through bearings and the whole hassle of BB30. My SC Tallboy BB bearings are completely sealed and any water goes completely around the bearings.
Time to get with the program Cdale.

I've had a persistent 'creak' coming from my Trigger 29er 1 for a week or two ... been driving me nuts. I was sure it was coming from the BB30 bottom bracket. I stripped and reassembled the bottom bracket... still creaking. I checked torque of all the suspension pivots... still creaking. I checked wheel hubs, seatpost and just about every where else I could think of... still creaking.

I love this bike, I ride it harder and more confidently than any other bike I've owned. It flatters my skills... but this creaking was killing my love.

In desperation, I handed it over to my mate Danny... local Trek dealer and awesome mechanic. Hours later, Danny said he hated me, but he'd found the problem. After disassembling the Main Pivot (the bottom one) which was dry and displayed signs of corrosion, he found that the chain stay part of the pivot was rubbing on the seat tube part of the pivot... alloy on alloy. You could actually see where the aluminium has been worn away. Everything was regreased, reassembled... yeah... creak is gone.

The bike has never been ridden in the rain and yet all bearings he checked were 'notchy' and showing signs of corrosion. A bit worrying on a bike only 6 months old. I expect better from a 2013 Cannondale.

russmu66: ^^ thanks for this, My t-29 2 has developed a similar creak...I've tried all the usual suspects (other than the BB...more on that below) to no avail. I'll check the lower pivot more closely. I did check it a few weeks ago..didn't see anything obviously awry, and even lighlty lubed it. If you have a picture of the alloy-on-alloy, please post up so I know better what to look for.

Cappy: the owner of the LBS that sold me my Trigger has a T29-1 himself. Has only had it for 2-3 months max. He reported that his BB is already seized, so sounds like you've found (or at least confirmed) a weak spot on an otherwise awesome bike. My crank is still spinning smoothly, but as per above is creaking somewhat under hard efforts. Does anyone happen to know if the T29-1 and T29-2 have different level BB30's? ( I know the cranks themselves are different, just not sure about the BB).

russmu66: ^^ thanks for this, My t-29 2 has developed a similar creak...I've tried all the usual suspects (other than the BB...more on that below) to no avail. I'll check the lower pivot more closely. I did check it a few weeks ago..didn't see anything obviously awry, and even lighlty lubed it. If you have a picture of the alloy-on-alloy, please post up so I know better what to look for.

Cappy: the owner of the LBS that sold me my Trigger has a T29-1 himself. Has only had it for 2-3 months max. He reported that his BB is already seized, so sounds like you've found (or at least confirmed) a weak spot on an otherwise awesome bike. My crank is still spinning smoothly, but as per above is creaking somewhat under hard efforts. Does anyone happen to know if the T29-1 and T29-2 have different level BB30's? ( I know the cranks themselves are different, just not sure about the BB).

Thanks for any guidance.

I always put a drop of wax lube on all the pivots on the rear triangle to keep things quiet. So far so good.